We are a community of pizza lovers. . .

Slice Out Hunger has raised nearly $250,000 to fund hunger relief efforts around the US since launching in 2009. The original idea was simple: use food donated by independent pizzerias to raise money for local food banks and pantries with proven track records. Our first pizza party featured about fifty pizzas from half a dozen pizzerias in NYC and raised about $500. Our last major event raised $50,000 in just three hours, featuring 1,500 pizzas from over 50 of the best pizzerias in New York City. The annual event has become an institution in New York City and continues to inspire cities around the country to host similar events. The size of the party continues to grow, but the focus has always been to highlight independent pizzerias while supporting those in our community who have trouble affording food for themselves and their families.

The pizza industry is currently experiencing a massive growth phase, which is reflected in the media by way of frequent "Top Ten" lists and restaurant reviews bragging about imported ovens and rare tomatoes. Pizza is a $37 billion industry in the US. Let's face it, we're obsessed. Slice Out Hunger founder Scott Wiener tapped into pizza fever when he launched Scott's Pizza Tours in 2008. Over 46,000 tourists, locals, pizza lovers, and pizza professionals have since attended excursions to significant New York pizzerias with his company. Food tours are fun ways to experience a city, but treating food as entertainment is a luxury that too many people cannot afford. Slice Out Hunger became a way to harness the momentum of our collective pizza obsession to effectively support those who have trouble meeting their own basic food needs.

New York City isn't the only community that can benefit from our efforts, so we're expanding our scope across the country. We're currently working on a plan to help communities run Slice Out Hunger events of their own as well as implementing effective campaigns to raise funds and awareness for our neighbors in need. We're partnering with incredible pizzerias, ingredient purveyors, food distributors, and pizza industry affiliates to spread the message the pizza has the power to unite and support communities.